Stefan Raab completed “TV Total”: The joke – SPIEGEL ONLINE

At the end of Stefan Raab had then still tears in her eyes. The 49-year-old presenter slowly walked the show upstairs, slammed his hand on a cymbal, turned to the audience, waved and sank in the studio backdrop. That’s it! After 16 years and 2243 program is concluded. “TV total” with Stefan Raab TV history

But first things first:. The show started with the fact that on a video cassette could be seen -Sendung few seconds of the very first “TV total”. On 8 March 1999 Raab joined with an ill-fitting jacket before the audience and promised: “You only need a single mission in the week view. Namely, this” He should keep long right. Hardly anyone could his debunking TV criticism and subversive guerrilla Humor oppose something.

In his house ProSieben Raab could do then, what he wanted. Because the former altar boy and apprentice butcher had not only courage, but also talent: He sings, plays several instruments, composed and produced. Stefan Raab, the one can not emphasize this enough, was for German television the greatest innovation of the past 20 years.

In addition to his late-night program he invented the Wok World Championship, the Stock Car Crash Challenge , a carnival-Prunksitzung. He played in televised poker and bumper ball, rode horses to race, jumped from the ten-meter board and boxed with world champion Regina Halmich. With “Schlag den Raab” he finally bundled all in one ultimate competition show. The Federal Vision Song Contest he made also to the rescue of German music.

On his best days, he was more ambitious than Joko and Klaas together and creative as a whole image and Tonfabrik. Raab has changed the TV landscape. Only he was awake and tough. But then he became tired and wurstig

Not even a real goodbye

would have liked to be all looked again on the spot. The wooden gate in the studio, in front of Raab every night laboriously Timbered his gags or cracked leather seats, which have taken on virtually all the major stars in recent years space. But Raab wanted for the final show no press in the studio. Now it is clear: He did not even want a proper farewell.

Because ego entertainer Raab presented in its last shipment of other people at the center. He devoted almost all the airtime a single guest: his eternal show interns Elton. Together they looked at so many best-of clips of former sidekicks that you could ask short, who is actually adopted here. Finally Raab sang Elton “That’s What Friends Are For”, as they were cleaning the studio floor together.

Ever let Raab no opportunity to make music together with the studio band “Heavytones”. He even took the time to introduce each individual musician named. A visible sign after the production company Brainpool, an der Raab holds ten percent, had announced plans to lay off 80 employees by year-end.

junk show: “TV total”

All this should not obscure the fact that the announcement of the end of brought “TV total” no new momentum in the mission Has. The format has been overtaken by today’s standards.

The last major innovation has simply not been through a few years ago Raab. When television began to focus on a digital community, weiterzuerzählen TV shows on Facebook and in viral clips because Raab remained surprisingly listless. Does anyone know if the ambition would have been big enough, maybe he would have invented the Internet again.

Even on Monday could see quite impressive to what has degenerated for a junk-show “TV total”: The comedian Bülent Ceylan allowed it to show several clips of his new RTL show, as this is an officially purchased advertising block. Instead of the intrusive host to debunk, Raab had even blame of Ceylan yet to have his upcoming tour not mentioned properly. So toothless Raab has rarely seen.

The hope remains that Raab lying the first major TV entertainer the perfect farewell. There are many indications: Almost all destinations that Raab has publicly expressed are achieved – up to the somewhat helpless trip to the policy talk. Raab will not like Schmidt hoof it through the digital channels, such as Gottschalk revolutionize the eve or Elstner stick to his TV presence.

A former employee said that Raab reported to have said once, many years ago, he would never be that his children see him sometimes as a washed-up fun uncle on TV later. Back then there were these children not yet, already. If on Saturday so again, “Schlag den Raab” and runs Raab live celebrates his last TV appearance, he has the unique chance to be graceful to say goodbye to his audience.

He would then be eternally unbeatable.